Lisboa, 18th of October 2007
Sonae Sierra wins 2007 DuPont Safety Award
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International shopping centre specialist recognized for commitment to Safety & Health
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First company in shopping and leisure sector to take such an innovative initiative - highlighting concern for employee and customer safety and welfare
Sonae Sierra, the international shopping centre specialist, has won the DuPont Safety Award for Visible Management Commitment for its groundbreaking PERSONÆ project. PERSONÆ is part of Sierra's aim of achieving the best Safety & Health standards and practices in the shopping centre sector.
The PERSONÆ project emphasises on building a culture of prevention and anticipation of accidents at Sonae Sierra which will protect staff and everyone who is involved with the company. It focuses on visible leadership commitment and responsible behaviour on the part of each individual to achieve a target of zero accidents. The project reaches out beyond all levels of the company and fully integrates a wide cross-section of stakeholders including staff, contractors, tenants, suppliers, visitors and the surrounding community.
"We are very pleased with this recognition of our success through felt leadership and focusing on each individual's behaviour, rather than relying solely on a team of safety professionals," said Álvaro Portela, Sonae Sierra CEO. "This encourages a proactive response from our team and helps build a sustainable safety excellence culture. We are very encouraged by the positive feedback from our stakeholders and aim to encourage them to continue being part of this program," added Álvaro Portela.
The PERSONÆ Project has been developed in three separate phases over four years and has now completed the second phase. In its first two phases, over 70,000 people have been involved to some degree with the project's activities, including seminars, workshops and behavioural safety preventive observations. The end goal is to help all stakeholders and visitors to avoid accidents, not only when in the shopping centres, but at all times and in all places.
"The DuPont Safety Award considers contributions or projects in the fields of safety in the workplace or in society in general," said Ian Hudson, President DuPont EMEA. "Sonae Sierra is the first company in its sector to undertake this kind of innovative project and an outreach to 70,000 people so quickly. This is a powerful sign of a growth-oriented organization that recognises safety as the right thing to do, while producing business value as well."
About 200 senior representatives from over 25 countries, ranging from a wide variety of industry sectors, including construction, energy and transportation, met in Geneva this week at the 2007 Leaders Forum on ‘Safety: A Driver for Sustainability?' to share first hand experience, listen to case studies and explore cutting-edge ideas from peers and experts. The annual event also featured the presentation of the prestigious DuPont Safety Award for individual and collective safety and sustainability initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel. Since 2001, DuPont has been promoting the Safety Forum and Award in order to stimulate safety initiatives in companies around Europe, Middle East and Africa as well as to promote safety in all walks of life.
Sonae Sierra, www.sonaesierra.com, is an international shopping centre specialist, with a passion for bringing innovation and excitement to the shopping and leisure centre industry. The Company owns 46 Shopping Centres and one Retail Park in Portugal, Spain, Italy,Germany,Greece, Romania and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 1.8 million m2. Currently, Sonae Sierra is developing 12 more projects in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Brazil, with a total GLA of more than 400.000 m2. In 2006, its centres welcomed more than 402 million visits.
DuPont is the authority on safe workplaces, with a proven track record in consulting and training in workplace safety and operational excellence. Leveraging the Company's 200 year history of safety knowledge and experience, DuPont helps leading-edge companies gain sustainable improvement in insurance and operating costs, security, productivity, product quality, public image and employee morale.
Contacts:
Tiago Vidal
Corporate Communications Manager +351 21 751 51 17
tmvidal@sonaesierra.com
Tony Mays
Du Pont EMEA +44 1438 734835 +44 7776 171043
tony.mays@dupont.com